The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) kicked off a targeted training program for Zone A officers to launch and operationalise its new Reputation Management Guide, underscoring a strategic shift toward transparency, accountability, and public trust.

The event, held at the Apapa Area Command on Monday, was led by Zone A Coordinator and Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs, ACG Charles Orbih. He framed the guide as more than a document: a mission to redefine what it means to be a Nigerian customs officer and to propel the service into a new era of institutional transformation.

Orbih highlighted that the guide offers a structured approach for understanding, protecting, and promoting the NCS’s reputation in line with its mandates and codes of conduct. He linked the initiative to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, emphasising that governance in the digital age requires careful management of what is said about customs online. “In this digital age, what is said about customs online can travel faster than any smuggled contraband. Our reputation must be guided as tightly as our others,” he said. He added that the NCS must evoke respect and ensure that ethics and enforcement work hand-in-hand to secure its identity. “We stand at the threshold of a new era, a new frontier. The Reputation Management Guide is our roadmap to becoming the world-class customs service that Nigeria deserves.”

The handbooks’ rollout also featured remarks from Abdullahi Maiwada, the Customs National Public Relations Officer. Maiwada described the guide as more than a PR tool; it is a call to action for all officers to perform with composure, clear intent, and professional pride. “This campaign is our deliberate response to past missteps,” he noted, stressing that the framework aims to build credibility through consistency and to restore public confidence through conduct. The guide is presented as a practical framework for fostering accountability, civility, and professionalism across the service.

In Apapa, the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu, assured that officers at the nation’s premier seaport would adhere to the new guide. He urged continuous learning and improved conduct in all frontline interactions with the public, commending leadership from the Comptroller-General and Zone A for their support.

As the NCS positions reputation management as a core component of its mission, observers say the initiative signals a broader commitment to transparent operations and stronger public trust at Nigeria’s borders.